Young Voters' Political Efficacy and Electoral Participation in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Young voters are essential to democratic renewal, but political awareness does not always become electoral participation in developing democracies. This systematic literature review synthesized empirical evidence on how political efficacy shapes young voters' electoral participation from 2016 to 2025. Guided by a predefined protocol and a PCC framework, the review examined young voters aged 15-35, political efficacy in internal, external, collective, information, and self-efficacy forms, and developing democratic contexts with functioning electoral systems. Google Scholar searches and snowballing identified a latest screening file of 600 records. After screening, 128 records were retained for appraisal, and 50 core studies were included in final thematic synthesis. Findings show that political efficacy functions as a psychological bridge between political knowledge, digital exposure, civic education, and participation. Internal confidence, information efficacy, media literacy, recruitment networks, and institutional responsiveness strengthen the movement from awareness to voting, registration, turnout, campaign engagement, and online or offline participation. However, weak civic readiness, misinformation, low external efficacy, distrust, and structural inequality interrupt this pathway. The review concludes that youth electoral participation is strongest when young people feel capable of participating and believe that political institutions will respond to their voice.